.1
¶ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also
in me..2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you..3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.1
- Let not your hearts be troubled Jesus knew that His followers
would grieve after He went away. Here His speaks with loving concern. When
we lose a loved one to death, we may take comfort in these words of our
Lord.1
- Believe The faithful ones had a strong confidence in the
Father. Here and in the chapters to follow Jesus connects that to confidence
in Him.2
- Mansions Houses within a house? Jesus is speaking, to some
degree, in metaphors. Certainly we will have individual homes.2
- If it were not so The disciples knew the Old Testament
promises. The faithful were assured a place within the walls of the Lord's
house. is5601-8. That
promise was still valid.2
- I go The house of His Father mentioned here was not the
Jewish temple or the corrupt city of Jerusalem. He was going away to it.
In teaching the disciples to pray, he had said, "Our Father who is in heaven."(Luke
11:2) . Remember that the present promise was made after Jesus had
left the temple desolate. He had called it His father's house but now it
was theirs mt2338.
At the end of the thousand years the prepared place will come to earth
re2102
although we will live in it during that period. 3
- I will come again Beautiful promise. A careful reading
of this verse leaves no place for the idea of souls going to heaven before
the grand return of the Lord. re0107bas.3
- Receive you He comes to get us. We are "caught up" to meet
Him in the air 1th0417
not in heaven and not on earth. He will come visibly
and literally in a cloud just the way He left us ac0109.

.4
¶ And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto
him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?.6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me,
ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and
have seen him.

Deep and beautiful concepts.

5
- How can we know the way? Although Thomas should have known
the answer, we can be glad that Jesus explained the profound simplicity
of the way of Salvation.

.8
Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us..9
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou
not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how
sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?.10
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words
that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth
in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I
am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very
works' sake.

8
- Show us the FatherYou can see that Jesus came to
reveal the Father. Philip may have been thinking of the revelation to Moses
ex3318ff
but he had already witnessed the divine character in clarity.

.12
¶ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works
that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because
I go unto my Father..13
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father
may be glorified in the Son..14
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

14
- If you ask "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will
do it." So if we ask for a ton of gold will it appear for us? The text
says anything. It also says "in my name." We remember that a name is more
than just a word. It represents the person. It is character. So anything
we ask that is in harmony with the goodness and justice of God, He will
do. If we ask for forgiveness we can plead our case by the fact that Jesus
died for us. The Father loves us, too, but it is Jesus who died for our
sins and it is He who arranges our pardon before the Father. All other
good gifts that we need we may ask for in the same spirit. Sometimes we
do not receive our request because it is not for God's glory — not according
to the name of Christ. Sometimes God allows His children to suffer to help
others realize evil. John clarifies in his first epistle. 1jo0514.

.15
¶ If ye love me, keep my commandments..16
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you for ever;.17
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth
him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you.

15
- Keep my commandments What commandments? Of course, whatever
He asks, but there's more: Notice that He identified Himself as the I AM
of the Exodus jn0858. Then look at the first
verse of Exodus 20. ex2001.
Also He spoke for the Father so His commandments were those of the Father
jn1249,
v1016
- Another Jesus was the disciples' comforter — their support
contact 1jo0201. The
Spirit is just as real although it's the Father with whom we communicate.
See also v26.17
- Even the Spirit of truth Reception of the Holy Spirit assumes
keeping the commandments v15. We see popular ministers
on television who promote receiving the Spirit. They talk a lot about healing
and about God's power to give us whatever we might need (as we give money)
but nothing seems to be said about obedience. This is not the true gospel.

.18
¶ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you..19
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because
I live, ye shall live also..20
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in
you. 21 He that hath my commandments,
and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall
be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him. 22 Judas saith unto
him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto
us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and
said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will
love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me
not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but
the Father's which sent me.

19
- Ye in me and I in you It is through
the Holy Spirit that He is in us and we in Him. Compare jn1504.20
- At that dayac0201.
Of course we weren't living then. The Holy Spirit comes to us, not by sending
us into a trance of hysteria but by quietly helping us understand spiritual
things, by helping us know Jesus Christ, by bringing Christ close to us
as we pray, by giving understanding of the Scriptures, and by the quiet
little voice guiding our steps. 1ki1912.

.25
¶ These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you..26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in
my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you..27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,
give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

26
- The Comforter "Comforter" translates the Greek word parakletos
which literally means "one called to one's side." Notice the comparison
in Jesus' statement. He was present with the disciples. After He went to
heaven the Father sent the Holy Spirit – the one sent to be by our side.27
- Peace We can have peace in the storm knowing that the Lord
is in control of our lives. ro0501,
ph0406f,
jn1633.

.28
¶ Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto
you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father:
for my Father is greater than I.

Greater
than I This seems to imply that Christ was inferior which is
not the case ph0209,
1co1527.
In the incarnation (taking on the form of human flesh), His role was and
is in some ways like ours. Thus in His humanity He would look to the Father
from our perspective. See ph0207,
he0209.
We must remember that we will never understand the exact nature of God
for He will ever be greater than us. Of course we can enjoy knowing what
has been revealed.

.29
And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to
pass, ye might believe..30
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh,
and hath nothing in me..31
But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave
me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

30
- Prince of this worldSatan claims this world as
his kingdom, but he is only the prince. Christ, too is a prince da0925.
At the end of the preadvent judgment, we will see that He, not Satan, becomes
king in a special way da0714.
This concept may take a little study.30
- Nothing Praise God! Jesus was faithful and just. That means
He can forgive and cleanse us 1jo0109.31
- Let us go hence In modern English, "Let us go from here."
See mt2630. Some believe
that Jesus' instruction in the next chapters was also in the upper room
but there is reason to assume that John's account was not chronological.
They sang a hymn (of the Passover) and went out mt2630.